2016 Video Game Power Rankings: May

Welcome to the Critically Sane monthly Power Rankings for May 2016. As always the list is based on a mix of our opinions of what we’ve played this year, as well as conjecture on what we think is going to be awesome in the months to come. The six of us each submit a list of 10 titles which are given a point total in reverse order (so first place gets 10 points, while 10th gets one), and then the totals are combined to come up with this monthly list. Last month’s rankings.

10. Stellaris (11 points, new, 1 first place vote) – Paradox moved from its traditional historical strategy games to a space 4X epic with universe rending results. Early returns on the game have been fantastic, and, as it is now the studio’s fastest selling game of all time, we can expect to see a host of DLC.~Tony

7t. Quantum Break (14 points, returning) – While it certainly has it’s issues, the fact that Remedy took chances with its design of Quantum Break and it is actually quite fun seem to be enough to keep it bouncing around this list. ~Chris

6. Tom Clancy’s The Division (17 points, no change, 1 first place vote) – The Division is still hanging in there despite the main flagbearer not playing it much. Will it survive the new game announcements that recently happened? ~Don

4t. Titanfall 2 (18 points, no change) – I am so eager to drop a Titan on it. Especially one with a giant sword. Respawn did a great job on the first game with a smaller team and lower budget. Now, in a bigger release, I’m really interested to see what else they can do. And I am hoping for a quality campaign.~Tony

4t. Gears of War 4 (18 points, +1 position change, 1 first place vote) – Arguably the most popular franchise of the previous generation of consoles, Gears of War gives us the 1st numbered game in over 5 years. The story follows Marcus Felix’s son, JD, as he battles a new threat to mankind. Expect a whole lot of chainsaw revving this fall. ~ Fozzy

3. Deus Ex: Mankind Divided (23 points, no change) – Human Revolution was universally praised not only for the gameplay but the intriguing story that features a realistic dystopia in the not-too-distant future. If Mankind Divided tweaks some issues in the previous title, it has a strong case for Game of the Year. ~ Fozzy

2. Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End (32 points, no change, 1 first place vote) – Big budget, story focused, cinematic adventures in games aren’t as common as they once were. Uncharted 4 may very well be the last of a dying breed but it might be the ultimate realization of that game design approach. ~Chris

1. Final Fantasy XV (33 points, no change, 1 first place vote) – We’re so close now, we can almost taste the leather, hair gel, and non-homoerotic (???) male affection. ~Peter